A night not to be mentioned again
by BlueAngel7810
Summary: Cid tells Squall his father will be visiting him in Garden soon but when resentment and doubts fill the commander's heart, Rinoa tries to help only to get hurt. That's when Selphie, Irvine and their friends barge in with their ideas to cheer the young Sorceress and her Knight up! Truth or Dare fic (because I always wanted to write one!). Squinoa and slight Selvine.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Final Fantasy VIII or its characters though they are all awesome.**

**A.N/:**_ Ok, this might contain a bit of fluff but it can't hurt, can it? Also to those who are skeptic because there is a truth or dare part, please note that this is not a crack fic! I tried to make it funny but it is not complete chaos…As far as I know…_

* * *

_**~A night not to be mentioned again~**_

**Part 1**

An annoyingly bright weather had settled in the middle of the afternoon in Balamb after two days passed under an unstopping rain. The clouds were few and white, the sky was as cerulean as it could possibly be and the sun shone brilliantly above. It was your typical afternoon in August. And it was damn annoying as a certain person would put it when you were forced to spend the whole day locked up in your office doing paperwork.

This person was none other than Balamb Garden's recently appointed Commander, Squall Leonhart. During the Sorceress war against Ultimecia, the commander's role was mainly to order the troops around and to plan the Garden's next moves. Now that the situation was settled and that Ultimecia was no more, the young man of seventeen who had spent his days travelling around the world in great open spaces and immense cities to save the world from Time Compression…Was stuck filling student papers or else in his office all day.

Squall had wanted to yell at Headmaster Cid at the very moment he was named commander. He was seventeen for screaming out loud! But the Garden had been in a great time of need, he had had responsibilities and wasn't in a position to deny them. It had been an honor to become commander of course, especially after being promoted SeeD only several weeks prior…But now it was only a burden. He liked the fact that he was not so bound to following orders like before but it was nothing compared to the feeling of a real fight during missions, he loved the adrenaline pumping in his veins when he confronted a skilled opponent, the ease with which he wielded his gunblade. How he missed those days…

The commander's main occupation was now to fill in the young cadet's files for the next year and to prepare the admission of new students in the military faculty in September. He was due to help the Headmaster with this work since he was still under his orders. People depended on him, but it wasn't a question of life or death like before and Squall missed being a normal SeeD.

His working conditions hadn't been the only change after Ultimecia's demise. Rinoa and him had finally got together. The young sorceress now stayed in Garden after she had spent two weeks in Timber to help with the settlement of the new independent town. Squall and their friends had been more than glad when she announced she would settle down in Garden with them after she came back, Rinoa wasn't a SeeD after all, and she could have gone back to Timber or Galbadia. She had been set on finding a job though. For now it was still hard, she had tried being 's assistant in the infirmary but her clumsy nature didn't help much. She then worked at the cafeteria but wasn't too fond of it so instead, she chose to work in Garden's library. A job she found quite bearable since she had always loved books and could spend her afternoons reading. The only thing was that, just like Squall, she was stuck indoors all day.

Selphie would often drag her out in Balamb town on her days off with Quistis so she didn't complain too much. Speaking of the bouncy little girl, Selphie had taken it upon her to organize a giant party at least twice a month. Cid and Squall had forced her to reduce it to only once a month because of the possible repercussions on Garden's calm and on the commander's sanity. The lead of Garden's festival committee had had to agree reluctantly. The next upcoming party was to take place on the 23rd of August for Squall's birthday and to his own dismay.

Irvine had recently submitted his files to Balamb Garden to become a SeeD there after quitting Galbadia Garden. Cid had agreed to directly make him a SeeD instead of having him go through the exams all over again seeing as he had passed in his former Garden. The gunner was often on missions with Zell now but every time he came back, he spent at least one whole day with Selphie to make up for lost time. Ah yeah, the two had started dating shortly after Squall & Rinoa.

Quistis was- like Zell- still a normal SeeD but helped instructors every now and then with their cadets. Even Squall often asked her to help him with his commander duties since she was always so good with the administration and such. She had become his 'second' in command in a way.

Squall finished another stack of paper. _'Good…'_ he thought sarcastically as he looked over at the imposing piles of papers he still had to do _'Just a hundred more to go'_.

He gazed at the cloudless blue sky out the window behind him for a minute, lowering himself on his seat at his desk and breathed a tired sigh. He did that more and more every day. He then picked up his pen once again and processed to get another stack of papers in front of him when the announcement bell rang in its usual light, annoying tone. The Headmaster's voice was soon heard through the speakers.

"_Attention please, this is the Headmaster speaking. The hotdogs issue in the cafeteria has now been taken care of. Students may go inside and have dinner in peace tonight so no worries."_ Squall sighed inwardly at that. What had Zell done again_? "Commander Leonhart, come to my office shortly please, I need to have a word with you."_

The ring sounded again and Squall sighed heavily. When Squall was called to Cid's office it usually meant more paper work or trouble. He was really in no mood for a lecture about how couples tended to act too openly in public or in the secret area in the training center or worse, about his life. It was the same every single time: _'You grew up so much Squall, I almost can't see the young boy at the orphanage anymore!'_ or every now and then: _'How are you and Rinoa doing Squall? I hope you are taking good care of her. I remember how Edea and I…' _And so on… Cid must be aging…Squall didn't know and didn't care very much. All he had to do right now was get up and walk to the elevator to Cid's office and get a speech about whatever it was that was on his mind.

'_Never mind that, hopefully I'll get to see Rinoa tonight.'_ He thought as he reluctantly got up and walked out of his office.

* * *

"You called me sir?" Squall said lazily after walking into the headmaster's office. He hadn't even bothered to knock as he usually did. Oh well…

"Ah Squall there you are, come on have a seat." The short middle-aged man said gesturing to the chair in front of his desk.

Squall did as he was told and remained silent as Cid swiftly organized the things on his desk– a tic of his- before looking up at him with his usual welcoming smile. _'Here it comes…'_ Squall thought.

"First, how are you doing? Anything new with Rinoa? I heard she got another job."

'_Aren't you the one who pays her for it?'_ the young commander thought but refrained himself from asking out loud.

"She works at the library now." He said trying not to sound as bored as he actually was. Cid seemed to encourage him to carry on for more detail._ *Why does he care anyway?* _he kept in a sigh. "She enjoys it more since she loves books. She gets to read a lot. What about you?" he inquired politely.

Seriously, what did Cid expect? A passionate monologue about his undying love for Rinoa? That wasn't exactly his favorite topic… Especially when he had sworn to protect her with his life and to be her Knight. He wasn't going to give every detail of his love life to his boss, even after all they had been through.

"Oh, good to hear that." Cid's smile didn't leave his face. "I'm doing fine now that the problem in the cafeteria is settled. Zell will never stop loving hotdogs, will he?" He laughed slightly at the memory.

Squall just shrugged. "Did you have anything important to tell me headmaster?" he said going straight to the point before Cid could carry on on some tangent.

"Well Squall, I know your birthday is next week…" Cid's smile was getting annoying. The young SeeD had difficulty picking the worst between paperwork and the headmaster's rambling.

"Sir…?"

"I'm getting to it Squall don't worry." Cid interrupted seeing the commander's puzzled look. "Miss Tilmitt is throwing a party on the 23rd."

"Yes." How could he forget Selphie's party…

"Well, your father just called, he planned on attending it and staying for a couple days so I th…"

"WHAT!?"

Squall stood up from his seat in shock.

"Esthar president Laguna Loire -your father- is coming for your birthday. I thought I'd let you know."

Squall stood motionless as an unknown emotion took over his body. An uncomfortable silence filled the room for what seemed to be hours.

"Did I say something wrong?" Cid inquired surprised at the young man's reaction to seeing his father.

"He'll stay in Garden for a while?" Squall asked not minding the headmaster's question as he settled his wary gaze upon the middle-aged man.

"Yes, he'll stay for three days in the staff dormitories. Squall, is something wrong?"

"No, just tired sorry sir."

"Well, maybe you should rest a little bit… You work so hard. You can go back to your room and relax if you want, paperwork can wait."

"Thank you sir."

And with that Squall departed, leaving a speechless Cid sitting at his desk. He couldn't help but wonder, what was so wrong about having Laguna in Garden for three days?

* * *

Everything was wrong.

The moron who called himself his father was going to be there? What a joke, eighteen years for him to come for his birthday. No, it's too late now.

How dare he!? He had lived his whole life not knowing he had a father, he only discovered he had one like, a month ago! Said father had not even looked for his son when he realized he had one. What did he want with him now?

Laguna was the exact opposite of Squall. Carefree when Squall'mind was dead set, joking around when it was a grave situation. Social and stupid Laguna, stubborn and serious Squall. He almost couldn't believe it when Laguna told him he was his father.

"Squall?"

The young man looked up at the sound of his name to face none other than Rinoa. He hadn't realized he had made his way to her door while deep in thoughts. She stood there in front of him clad in her usual blue duster and holding the door wide open, as to invite him inside.

"Hey, what's up? Come in."

He entered the room without thinking it through too much. He didn't have any more space left in his mind with all these thoughts of Laguna.

"You don't work today?" he asked rather sternly, still preoccupied with the recent news.

Rinoa was a bit taken aback by his tone but replied with a smile on her face even when his back was facing her. "Nah, it's my day off and Selphie and Quistis are busy. I was bored."

Squall didn't even seem to have heard her. His gaze was lost out her small window. Seizing the opportunity, Rinoa dashed towards him and collided with his back, almost knocking him on the floor. She encircled his waist with her small arms in a hug. He didn't react.

'_Weird…'_ she thought. That confirmed her suspicions. Something was definitely on his mind. "Is something wrong?"

He stiffened a bit, finally getting out of his trance. His mind was now battling on whether or not he should tell her. His last hope of not getting a massive headache by the end of the day was completely crushed.

"You know I won't let you go until you tell me."Rinoa added sensing his inner debate as she hugged him tighter.

Well, that solved the problem.

"Ok." Squall agreeing to share his thoughts with her meant she had to let go of him now. She did so unwillingly and tried to show it to him with a little pout. He still wouldn't turn to face her so she ended up being the one to move in front of him. Even then his steel blue eyes wouldn't look at her.

'_Whatever is on his mind must really be bothering him.'_ She thought as concern started to overwhelm her.

'_Here goes nothing…'_ Squall thought as he finally set his gaze upon her face.

"Laguna, my father… He's coming for my birthday party. And he'll stay a few days." He announced somberly.

Rinoa stared disbelievingly. Was that it? His father? She did know Squall didn't exactly admire his dad, but to get him so troubled? She didn't quite understand…

"What's wrong with that?" She asked, never once doubting to voice her thoughts.

It was Squall's turn to stare at her with eyes wide like saucers. 'What was wrong'!? Didn't she know?

"I mean, it's gonna be great, no? You have a lot of things to catch up on with him." Rinoa tried pushing her luck a bit further even when she saw the disapproving look he cast her.

"No. It's not gonna be great 'cause Laguna is a moron who doesn't give a damn…" Squall trailed off as anger seeped through his voice.

"But, Laguna is a nice man. You just don't know him so well…"

"Like you do better than me!" He spat refusing to meet her eyes. This was getting really, really frustrating.

"Well, if he comes to the birthday party we'll have a chance to get to know him." She kept her cool even when she didn't really like his tone. It was the 'old Squall' again.

"I have nothing to do with him."

Rinoa stared, stunned. "What do you mean?"

"This man…He didn't even bother looking for me for seventeen years. I have nothing to do with him." His tone got darker and darker with every venom infused word. Rinoa wasn't the one he addressed this anger but it still shocked her a bit to hear him talking to her like that.

"He probably didn't know…" She tried to convince him.

"He knew! I'm sure he knew! When he went to the orphanage to get Ellone…" He spat harshly. "Don't you defend him."

"But, you don't even give him a chance!" Rinoa said desperately.

"He doesn't deserve it."

"How would you know?" Squall gave her an icy glare. "You can't say that for sure." the young girl defended with a hand against her heart to keep her resolve strong. Arguments with Squall were never easy on her.

"Why!? He left me alone for seventeen damn years!" He roared vehemently, sending a shiver up Rinoa's spine. This time she felt the anger directed towards her.

"He just didn't know! You have to give him a chance, he's the only parent you have left!"

"Says the rebel daughter of General Caraway." He argued ruthlessly.

That hit a nerve. "How can you say that!?"

"You reject your father just like I do mine. You can't lecture me for it, you're worse than I am!"

"He…Caraway doesn't even consider me as his daughter!" her voice lost its former strength and was now cracking.

"'How would you know?' " He spat sarcastically using her own words from earlier.

Rinoa froze. He didn't know, she never told him about that part of her life…He couldn't say things like that. Sure he was angry, sure he had suffered long enough from constant loneliness but it wasn't a reason to blame it on Laguna when it hadn't entirely been his fault…It wasn't a reason to blame it on her. She was just trying to help and he threw her words back at her.

She lowered her head and balled her fists, trying to keep her emotions locked up a little longer. "You, you don't know. You can't say that when you don't know anything!" She struggled to hold on slightly longer… "You have a father who wants to get to know you, I…" Too late. She looked up at him and tears started rolling down her cheeks. "I don't have parents anymore!"

Squall glared at her at the start but when he saw the tears in her eyes, and the torn look she had when she fixed her gaze upon him… He watched completely astonished as she stormed out of the room sobbing.

He didn't even understand what he had said that could get her so upset. And her last sentence… Without anything proving otherwise, Fury Caraway **was **Rinoa's father. What did she mean?

He hadn't really been angry at her, it was just so frustrating. Now he was definitely mad at himself…And Laguna… He sighed and brought a hand up to his forehead as to try and calm his headache.

'_Worst day ever.'_ He thought.

* * *

-Two days later-

It was already late afternoon when Selphie finally made it to the library after a weird –that was the word- conversation with Zell & Irvine in the cafeteria. The young brunette had been in a mission with the cowboy the last three days so she hadn't been able to see her best friends for a while. Rinoa was the first to go and see on her list.

"Hiya Rinny! What's up?"

Selphie skipped her way to the desk in the library where Rinoa was seated. She immediately noticed the gloomy look on the raven haired girl's face who hadn't even looked up at her friend's greeting.

"Rinny?" Selphie tried again waving a hand in front of Rinoa's face.

"Ah! Yes Selphie…?" She shook her head back and forth to wake herself up from her trance more efficiently.

"Is something wrong?" The brunette asked concerned.

"No…"

"Hum…" Selphie tried to look as if she was wondering but she already knew. "I take that as a yes."

Rinoa looked up to see her friend's worried expression. She knew she wouldn't ever get out of this situation without a proper explanation but… Selphie was the very one who told her everything was always worth trying.

"I'm just tired, don't worry." Rinoa waved her off but the petite SeeD was far from convinced.

"No, when you're tired you're grumpy or sleepy, not dreamy like this." Selphie argued placing her hands on her hips in a challenging way. "You're not tired."

"How could you know that?" Rinoa tried to shake off her surprise.

"Squall told me."

"He…He did?"

"Yep, but don't try to strategize with me and get me on a tangent 'cause that's sooo not going to work!" Selphie's hair bounced as she shook her head along with her index finger as to say 'no, no, no'.

"Whatever."

"And don't you 'Whatever' me! We get that more than enough from your Squall!"

Rinoa sighed. There was just no point in trying to convince Selphie to let her be. She'd have to go along. She grabbed the two rings hanging around her neck as her depressed mood returned.

"Squall and I had an argument…"

'_Oh shoot' _Selphie swore in her mind. Squall and Rinoa didn't argue so often but when they did, Rinoa was always really depressed and heartbroken whereas Squall would always act as if nothing happened. It made it even worse for the young Sorceress even though their friends knew their leader was upset as well, just not showing it. _'I'll need to kick his butt for whatever he's done later…' _The small SeeD thought before walking behind the desk and right next to her friend.

"C'mon Rinny, let's get you cheered up!" She said as enthusiastically as she could seeing the raven haired girl's usually bright eyes so full of sadness. _'Damn you Squall!'_

Rinoa looked up at her friend slightly confused but took the hand Selphie was offering anyway.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked in a small voice as Selphie led her through Garden's halls.

"To my room, we're having a girl's night!" Selphie cheered earning a few weird looks from the students around the two girls. "I'll call Quisty when we're there!"

Rinoa flashed her friend a small smile. Selphie would do just about anything to have fun with her friends. Last time when Quistis was mad about some student she had had to tutor during a mission they ended up in Balamb town for a karaoke night. They had sworn on honor not to ever mention it to the boys. Rinoa was fine with a girl's night, anything to get her mind off Squall.

* * *

"What have I missed?"

"Quisty, you almost got us waiting!"

The tall blonde chuckled at Selphie's sarcasm. Rinoa and the bouncy girl were currently sitting on the carpet playing a game of cards.

"Sorry about that, I had some papers to finish." Quistis apologized as she closed the door behind her and put her bag on the bed. "You don't have a bag Rinoa?" The bag was the must during a sleep-over. It always contained all the funny games and diaries and stuff to make fun of with your friends.

"No, I'll lend her some of my stuff for the night." Selphie explained before the raven haired girl could look up.

"So, now that Quisty's here, what do we do?" Selphie wondered stroking an imaginary beard.

"I brought my stuff to do our nails, the tarot game…" Quistis suggested as she sat down on a nearby cushion with the other girls.

To be honest, Quistis hadn't really been one for sleep-over nights before but now that she had her new friends and was no longer an instructor, there was no avail to Selphie's crazy parties. Furthermore when Rinoa was sad and down, it was their duty to help her feel better. During their adventures she had come to consider the raven haired girl like a younger sister after all.

"PILLOW FIGHT!" Selphie cried out.

Quistis didn't have time to dodge the oncoming cushion and took a harsh blow straight on her face. Rinoa tried to stifle her giggles. The blonde stood up and put her glasses down on the bedside table before seizing both Selphie's former weapon and her own cushion.

"You're going to pay for that…" She threatened, a dark aura suddenly surrounding her.

Selphie squeaked but was quick to react and use Rinoa as human shield against the two pillows that were soon thrown at them.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry Rinny but I'm too young to die!"

"What-…" She coughed as she got hit straight in the mouth by the second pillow. "…-ever."

"Squall's really influenced you too much Rinoa." Quistis sighed. The young sorceress just giggled before throwing a pillow at the blonde girl and shoving Selphie away with another.

"What was that for!?" Quistis exclaimed shocked after getting hit in the face yet again.

"Revenge."

"Ok girls now this is war." Selphie said as she got up and threw a cushion without even looking and ducking another attack behind her bed.

Selphie's room soon became a feathery battlefield as one of the pillows died serving its country in battle. Selphie had developed a tactic that consisted of throwing a pillow in the air without even watching where it went before ducking behind the bed as not to get hit. Rinoa stayed covered behind a closet but got hit more often because of Quistis' fast reflexes. In the end, all three girls ended up sprawled over the carpet breathing heavily.

"I suggest we change for the night and do something calmer." Quistis said after a while.

"Agreed." Both Rinoa & Selphie replied.

Quistis got the bathroom first after a fierce game of rock paper scissors and Selphie helped Rinoa choose something to wear in her closet. She opted for simple baby blue pyjama shorts and a white sleeveless top with a black ribbon on the V shaped collar. Selphie changed into yellow pyjama pants with a green frog patern and a yellow top with a similar beaming frog. When Quistis got out of the bathroom she had her long golden hair tied in a loose braid and a short peachy pink nightgown with shorts of the same color underneath.

Selphie got in the bathroom and came out a few minutes later with her hair in pigtails and a box of nail polish. Quistis proceeded to get out her own.

"First things first." Selphie announced in an important voice as she set down the box next to Rinoa who was cradling a Moomba plushy on the carpet.

It took a quarter an hour for the three girls to get their nails colored in purple, orange and red respectively.

"There!" Rinoa said proudly as she added the final touch to her nails, a star on each index. "What do we do now?"

The other two seemed to think for a minute before Selphie broke the silence "How about a truth or dare?"

"Huh, you sure…?" Rinoa asked uneasily. She always ended up going through her most embarrassing memories in this kind of game.

"Yeah! C'mon, it's gonna be fun!" Selphie beamed excitedly.

"Why not." Quistis said.

"Yay! Quisty, truth or dare?" Selphie started immediately after having her friend's approbation.

"Truth."

"Do you have a secret crush?" Rinoa sighed at Selphie's question. If it was like that she was pretty sure she'd have to go through all the details of her love life…

"No."

"Oh come on!"

"I don't have a secret crush Selphie."

"Seriously!?"

"Yes."

"You're no fun…Ok, your turn to ask…" Selphie gave up. Quistis was too composed in this kind of game. She didn't have anything to hide.

"Right. Rinoa, truth or dare?"

"Err…Dare." She wasn't going to tell them her darkest secrets yet.

"Dance the Caramell Dansen until your next turn."

"What!?"

Selphie burst out laughing. "I didn't think you actually knew Caramell Dansen Quisty!"

The blonde smirked evilly. "Come on Rinoa, start dancing."

The dark haired girl started swinging her hips and making bunny ears above her head to an imaginary rhythm. Selphie stifled her laughter with her pillow.

"Rinny, you still have to ask me."

"Truth or dare Selph?" Rinoa was already breathless from the constant shaking.

"Hum…Let me see…Dare!"

"Hum…" Rinoa was thinking about what her torture should be. "You're gonna have to spend three turns buried under pillows and blankets."

"What!? It's like, 95°F in this room!" Selphie complained.

"Like I care." Rinoa countered with a devilish smile as she was still twisting back and forth. "Quistis, can you get the blankets from her closet and her bed?"

"Sure." The blonde got up and after a minute or two Selphie was but a gigantic mount of covers.

"It's worse than Ifrit's Hellfire under there!" she exclaimed but her voice was muffled under the mass of blankets. Quistis and Rinoa sniggered.

"Quisty, you know the question." Selphie said bored as she tried to shuffle to get herself in a turtle like position.

"Truth."

"But you already did truth last time!"

"I don't want to suffer your wrath, thank you very much."

"Fine, but next time you do a dare." Selphie sighed as she finally managed to stick her head out of her heated prison. "Do you miss Seifer?"

"What!? That guy was so troublesome! Impertinent, arrogant… He even injured his partners while training!"

"So you do miss him…" Selphie smirked as she placed her hands under her head to lie in a more comfortable position.

Rinoa was smirking as well. She-just like Selphie- knew her friend well. If she didn't miss him at all she would have answered with a blunt 'no' like before but there she was trying to find herself reasons not to miss Seifer.

"What!? No! He was just a bother! Everything's calm now that he's gone…!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever Quisty…" Selphie waved her hand in front of her as to tell her to let it go.

"Don't you 'whatever' me …" Quistis was beginning to sound dangerous.

"It's your turn to ask Rinny." The 'turtle girl' chuckled. The raven haired girl was reminded by that that she no longer had to dance and fell to the floor completely out of breath. She took the Moomba plushy back in her arms and looked over at Quistis.

"Truth. I'm too tired to do anything else."

"Right…" Quistis sighed and looked up at Rinoa more seriously than before. "Sorry to ask you that but since Selphie told me about you and Squall having an argument and he wouldn't tell me anything…What was it about?"

Rinoa froze and clutched the stuffed Moomba tighter, her eyes widening.

* * *

_Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it and if not, it's ok, I won't hunt you down and blow your house to smithereens…Maybe…_

_Anyway! To everyone of you who liked it please leave a review below, it'd be great since I just started on ! And even if you didn't like it that much, you can still post a review and tell me the things I should improve, I'd be thankful for your advices._

_The next chapter is already up, enjoy!_


	2. Chapter 2

**_~A night not to be mentioned again~_**

Part 2

* * *

-Earlier that day-

It was about eight p.m. now and Squall finally could go out of his office to get something decent to eat for diner. Crackers weren't exactly the best nutriment for a mercenary, and even knowing that hotdogs weren't much better, he was still willing to take the risk and have a stroll at the cafeteria.

He was surprised to find Zell and Irvine there, sitting among the few students who were still having dinner. The blond martial artist was of course eating like there was no tomorrow while Irvine was content with some salad and watched his friend with an amused look on his face.

The commander took what was left to eat at this late hour – a miserable plate of broccoli- and went to sit down next to Irvine, not really wanting to end up with hotdog crumbles all over his pants.

"Hey man!" Zell greeted between two bites of his precious hotdog. The legend says someone tried to snatch his hotdog from him one day…It didn't end well…

"Hi Squall." Irvine said turning to the stern young man beside him. "So like, I heard from Selphie that you and Rinoa had a fight…"

Squall played with the broccoli in his plate uneasily. He had been bothered about his argument with Rinoa for the past two days and Irvine bothering him about it in the cafeteria wasn't going to help much.

"Really?" Zell asked as a bit of ketchup fell on his gloved hand. "What was it about?"

Squall sighed and replied curtly. "None of your business." He hadn't told anyone else besides Rinoa about Laguna's visit.

"Oh c'mon! We're friends man!" Zell whined childishly.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Irvine was confused. Squall was always gloomy about it when he had a row with Rinoa but he would usually tell them. Furthermore, Selphie had told him on the phone that Rinoa had been really sad when she had dragged her to her room for a girl's night. A gentleman wasn't allowed to upset a young lady like that, especially not a _knight_. Irvine took it as his duty to get the truth out of their leader but apparently he was more bothered by it than he had expected.

"You're sure you're ok? You seem really down." The cowboy attempted.

Squall shrugged before standing up, he wasn't that hungry after all. "I'm fine Irvine."

"Not really convincing." Zell said as he got up as well but not before finishing the last bit of his 20th hotdog. How could he eat that much, seriously…

"Whatever." Squall was about to walk away but was stopped by Irvine suddenly voicing his genius idea.

"How about a boy's night!"

Squall turned to look at him completely aghast. What was wrong with this guy!?

Irvine furthered his point. "You know like, we'd mess around the school, do stupid stuff, maybe woo one girl or two…"

"You have a girlfriend Irvine." Squall reminded him.

"Ah! Yeah you're right. Let's not do that then, but we can still have fun!"

When was the last time Squall had had fun? All he could see in his memory was him drowning in a sea of evil-looking papers…

"Plus it'll cheer you up!" Zell interjected enthusiastically.

Squall thought about it for a moment, his hand against his temple. "What if we get caught past curfew?"

"Says Squall Leonhart, Commander of Balamb Garden." Irvine said as a matter of fact.

"Point taken."

"Yay! So that means we're in for some fun?" Zell inquired throwing a fist in the air.

"I…Guess…" Squall agreed skeptically before finding himself being dragged across the cafeteria and to the hall. _'What have I brought on myself again…'_ he thought.

"So like, where are we going first?" Irvine asked as they walked excitedly around the hall.

"You don't even know?" Squall inquired in disbelief.

"How about the secret area? Nida's on a date with some girl there, he asked me to give him some help." Zell suggested.

"What could we possibly do to help him on a date?" Squall asked with a facepalm.

"Well…" Zell sounded like he didn't know much either.

"I have a better idea."

The other two turned to the gunner who had interrupted them with questioning eyes. Irvine smirked proudly.

"Let's butt in Selphie's room!"

"WHAT!?" bewildered Zell shouted.

"What…?" doubtful Squall asked.

"The girls are there, we'll just invite ourselves and have fun together." Irvine explained, the smirk on his face widening.

'_That means Rinoa will be there'_ Squall thought. He wasn't sure he wanted to risk talking to her since she was probably still upset with him.

"Think about it." Irvine interrupted their leader's thoughts, sensing his inner turmoil. "Maybe we'll get to learn something to help you make it up to her."

"Or something fun about Irvine's love life!" Zell added.

"You're a gossip girl Zell." Squall sighed cynically.

"Hey! I'm just trying to help!" the blonde said in a fake offended tone.

That was true. They were just trying to help him feel better since he had been so gloomy during the last two days. If Selphie was having a girl's night it was probably because Rinoa was really sad too. It was his chance to make it all better, no matter how bad he disliked the idea of butting in a sleep-over party…

"Let's go."

"Cheers!" Zell exclaimed punching the air.

"Booya!" Irvine mimicked rolling his pistols around his fingers.

They got going and after fifteen minutes or so they were in front of Selphie's door. Laughter could be heard from inside the room.

"They're sure having fun." Irvine said pressing his ear against the metallic door.

"What are they saying!?" Zell asked impatiently as he mirrored Irvine's position.

"Something about Caramell Dansen…" Irvine pressed his face further against the cold surface.

"Are we seriously going to eavesdrop on the girls?" Squall asked unsure of what his friends were doing.

"Yes."

'…_Here goes nothing…'_ he thought as he pressed his ear against the door like his so called 'friends' to hear what was going on inside the room.

* * *

"Quistis!" Selphie cried out after the blond had asked her question. "We're supposed to cheer her up, not to remind her about it all!"

"I want to help her too but I need to know what's wrong in the first place, otherwise I can't give her advice." Quistis enlightened.

"But still…!"

"I understand, it's alright." Rinoa interrupted Selphie's outburst.

She hugged the Moomba plushy tighter if it was possible and seized the rings on her necklace nervously. The memory alone hurt so to think she would have to tell them everything. They were her friends but it was still very hard… _'Here goes nothing.'_ She thought.

"Maybe Squall told you guys already but…Laguna's going to come for the birthday party on the 23rd."

"Really!?" Selphie exclaimed. "That's awesome! We're gonna have such a great time! Will Ellone be there too?"

"I don't know, but Squall didn't take the news so well…" Rinoa carried on explaining. "He was so angry at Laguna for not being there all his life and he started screaming at me when I tried to convince him to give him a chance."

"I know he doesn't like Laguna so much but to react like that…" Quistis was stunned.

"He said he didn't deserve a chance, all because he left him in the orphanage for so long. He blames him for his loneliness and…It almost felt like he was blaming me too…" Rinoa's voice was getting smaller and smaller. "I told him it wasn't Laguna's fault, that he didn't know and that he should give him a chance to fix everything but then he said I wasn't one to lecture him about his father."

"Why…?" Selphie was really confused by Rinoa's story. All she knew was that she would definitely have to kick Squall where it hurts later for Rinoa's sadness.

"He said I couldn't ask him to give Laguna a chance when I didn't give one to Caraway but…"

"But…?" Quistis repeated as the tension was getting higher and higher with every minute that passed.

"He doesn't know about what Caraway's done to me…He didn't have the right to say that…" Rinoa said with her voice barely above a whisper so that her friends had a hard time understanding what she said. "He has a father left, I don't want him to lose him like I lost my parents."

"But, you still have your father, right?" Selphie inquired timidly.

That was the question she had been waiting for. Now she had to say everything.

"I already told you that when my mother died, my father started being very distant. He would no longer take care of me, not see me at all."

"Yes…"Selphie signaled that she and Quistis were still listening intently.

"Well, I was barely six at the time. I didn't understand why he acted like that when I had just lost my mother and needed support only family could provide. So I did my best, I got super high grades at school, I learned to play piano like my mom did but nothing worked…"

"So one day, I came to his office to talk to him. I must have been around eleven years old. I told him I would like it if he actually came to the school's end of year festival or to any of the events parents were supposed to attend. I told him I wanted to see him more, that I wanted to show him how I improved my piano, how I learned all of mother's songs, that I was my Literature teacher's prodigy… I told him how sad it made me that I could never spend time with him…"

"What did he say?" Selphie asked shyly, afraid to hurt her friend's feelings.

A silence passed in the room where no one said a word. Rinoa recalled the vivid memory of her father's pissed face as he watched her with pure contempt. How he spat those words she would never forget at her.

"He said he didn't care, that he didn't love me."

Selphie and Quistis were shocked. They didn't expect that and their eyes told Rinoa she had to carry on just a little longer.

"He said he supported me not to insult my mom's memory but didn't give a damn about what I did. He said he never wanted a daughter in the first place." Rinoa kept going despite the tears stinging at her eyes. "I was just a child, all I wanted was a family… I knew that day that I had lost both my parents after this car accident." Her voice shook terribly now, and she could do nothing to stop it.

"After that I didn't try to impress my father anymore since he would never care. All he did for me was actually for my mother, because he knew she would have wanted me to be alright and to live on even after her death. I did everything I could to get my father's disapproval or any reaction from him. I got bad grades and detentions, I hung out with friends late at night and dated the guys I thought he would like the least…" She thought about Seifer at that moment but quickly waved it off. "…Nothing ever worked, he still didn't care in the least and I was becoming desperate about him…"

She felt a tear roll down her face. She hadn't even realized she had been on the verge of tears. Quistis reached over and hugged her tightly, like an older sister would do.

"…But I met you guys…" Rinoa finished with a bitter sweet smile.

Her friends were like her family now. She had Quistis who she could always look up to and ask for advice, Selphie would always be the one to cheer her up when she was feeling down and she always had so much fun with her. Zell was like a brother to her, they loved the same music, the same games, the same food…He would always be there when she needed him. Same goes for Irvine, his cheesy jokes would always lighten up the mood. And Squall…She couldn't imagine her life without him anymore.

"I don't want Squall to lose his last parent definitively…" She said as her thoughts drifted back to him. She closed her eyes and Quistis slowly let go of her.

At that moment a loud bang was heard as the metal door flew open under the weight of three young men. The girls looked around to see Irvine, Zell and -surprisingly enough- Squall stumble on the carpeted floor.

"Shoot Zell, that hurts."

"Man you're squashing my foot!" the blonde complained.

"Get off me!" Squall shouted from under the other two. They quickly complied.

The three quickly got up and the girls just stared for a second before Selphie got out of her blanket prison and started yelling.

"What the heck are you doing here!?"

"I can explain…" Irvine said sheepishly as he replaced his cowboy hat correctly.

"I was talking to Squall! You can't even begin to imagine how hard I'm going to kick you for…."

"Rinoa."

He hadn't even listened to Selphie's outburst, his main preoccupation was now the raven haired girl seated against the bed with tears she couldn't help anymore streaming down her pale face. He went to crouch down in front of her and his grayish-blue eyes literally transfixed her. She was tempted to drown in them but he spoke before she could lose herself in his intense gaze.

"I'm sorry, for everything I said." He averted his eyes in embarrassment for a second but they quickly returned to her usually warm brown orbs. "I didn't know about your father and all you wanted to do was to help…I'm sorry."

Without a second thought she jumped into his arms and knocked him backwards on the floor. She nuzzled closer to him and cried her last tears in his shoulder as he caressed her hair.

"You…You meany…" she smiled as she finally looked down at him. He was grinning too as he wiped the remains of her tears away with his gloved hand.

"Hum hum!"

Zell clearing his throat got the two out of their reverie. They had almost forgotten the others were still there. They quickly sat up against Selphie's bed and Rinoa grabbed the Moomba plushy again.

"It's all on tape!" Selphie beamed as she held her old camcorder in the air. "You'll thank me later…" she winked at them.

"I didn't think you were such a romantic Squall…" Irvine joked, stroking an imaginary beard much like Selphie had done earlier.

"See, told ya Irvine." Zell smirked folding his arms behind his head.

Quistis just sniggered along with Selphie.

"Whatever…" Rinoa and Squall both sighed at the same time.

The room soon erupted in uncontrollable laughter.

"Soo…" Zell began as he sat down along with the others. "What do we do now?"

"What do you mean?" Selphie asked.

"It's a sleep-over party right?" Irvine said mimicking his friend and taking a seat near his girlfriend.

"You're inviting yourselves !?"

"Yup." They both answered at the same time.

Selphie was flabbergasted. Rinoa giggled quietly at her friend's face as she comfortably installed herself in a red-faced Squall's lap with her stuffed Moomba.

"We were playing truth or dare…" Quistis sighed "…Before you barged in."

"Fine with me!" Irvine declared as he cradled Selphie in his lap much like Squall did with Rinoa. The petite girl was currently busy fixing her camcorder so that she could film the whole night.

Quistis sighed again. "I swear Zell, if you try to have me sit in your lap you'll regret it…"

"Hey, hey! I haven't done anything!" the martial artist defended himself. The others chuckled.

"So, Zell…Truth or dare?" Rinoa asked playfully.

Selphie smiled inwardly, operation 'get Rinny cheered up' success. As much as it hurt to admit, she would have to thank Squall for that. But don't get her wrong, he was going to pay for what he did, one way or another…

"Dare of course!" the blond announced proudly.

"Well err…Oh! I just wanted to ask: is it true that you have a crush on that girl with the pigtails in the library?"

"That's a truth question!" The blond replied scandalized by her inquiry.

"Fine then, I dare you to tell us if that's true." Rinoa clarified with an innocent smile.

"Wait, that's not fair!" Zell complained as his cheeks slowly turned red.

"Just answer the question Zell." Quistis said, seemingly taking an interest in his answer.

"Well err…Fine…" The martial artist scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as everyone in the room stared at him intently, waiting for his answer. "…I like her, happy now!?"

"I knew it!" Selphie threw her fist in the air and Rinoa smirked.

"If you need any advice Zell, just come to me." Irvine said expertly as the hotdog addict turned to him with confused eyes. "If there are two things I know about, it's guns and women, right Squall?"

"Yeah whatever…" the gunblader rolled his eyes remembering what the cowboy had told him in Fishermen's Horizon two month ago.

"What? You asked Irvine for advice about girls!?" Rinoa switched her position to face him with eyes wide like saucers.

"Of course not." Rinoa discreetly sighed in relief at his response then giggled at the thought of him actually asking Irvine for advice.

"What's so funny?" He asked intrigued at her strange behavior.

"Nothing, nothing…" Rinoa cleared her throat then sat back comfortably into her knight's embrace, to which he gave a tired but still content sigh.

"Alright then, Squall. Truth or dare man?" Zell inquired enthusiastically when the red of his cheeks had finally vanished.

"Dare."

"Hum…Let me see…"

"Oh! Make him dance something stupid, like Gangnam style!" Selphie jumped up and down in poor Irvine's lap.

"Nah…He would kill us for that, especially since you're filming…"

"Right on." Squall flashed a quick glare at the small brunette who just stuck her tongue out at him.

"I have a better idea." Quistis announced suddenly. "Dare him not to say 'whatever' for the whole night. If he lets it slip he'll have to do anything we ask him."

Quistis' smirk was apparent on her face and Squall couldn't believe how she covered up that devilish part of herself with her bossy façade. He wasn't too afraid of her challenge thought.

"Yeah, that's a good idea!" Zell exclaimed before turning to Squall with a determined look. "You just do that, if you even begin to say 'whatever' you're in for the most embarrassing suffering of your life!"

"Fine…I guess." He replied in a tone that was a bit off. Rinoa giggled for she was the only one to know that he had just been about to say the forbidden word.

Several turns passed and it was getting late but no one in the room really cared. Selphie was still bouncing in her boyfriend's lap and had stolen his precious hat, Quistis was laughing heartily with Rinoa as Squall and Zell were also greatly enjoying themselves.

"Rinoa, did you have many boyfriends in the past?" Zell asked at some point after the young sorceress had chosen a truth question.

"Oooooh yeah…" She said emphasizing her point by making great gestures with her right hand, the one that was not busy petting the Moomba plush.

"That much?" Zell stared and so did the others. "How many exactly?"

"Well…There was that guy with silver hair…What was his name again? Yapu? No, never mind. Then I dated his brother…Then some guy who used to play a weird ball game and that one with the eye patch… Oh and that read-head who kept saying 'yo' all the time! Damn he was annoying… Then I started hanging out with the third silver haired brother, then that guy I didn't know who came up to me and asked for a date…He had such weird blue eyes…" Rinoa kept counting all the guys on her fingers as to keep track of the exact number.

"Wait, that was all before Seifer!?" Zell was bewildered.

"Yup."

"I think she almost beats my dates record…" Irvine stated amazed before receiving an elbow nudge from his girlfriend.

"And I haven't yet told you about this boy who asked for directions and ended up taking me to dinner! And that blue haired freak who wouldn't stop flirting with me at school… This one was surely the worst. There was also that guy Johnny…"

Squall stiffened behind her. He really didn't want to hear about all that. Rinoa noticed that sudden change in her favorite pillow's posture and quickly turned to him.

"Something wrong?" She asked with the most innocent expression on her face.

"No." He replied quickly. Too quickly.

"I know there's something wrong, tell me!" Rinoa pouted. Squall found himself blushing but didn't look away.

"I said it's nothing." He held her gaze as to prove his point but he felt himself wavering at the thought of all the ex-boyfriends she still hadn't named. How could he compete with so many men? Just the thought of her in someone else's arms made him want to scream.

"I know!" Rinoa exclaimed as a glint of mischief appeared in her chocolate brown eyes. "You're jealous!"

At that point Selphie burst out laughing and the others tried in vain to refrain from doing the same. The room was soon filled with muffled sniggers and wicked grins in his way.

"Admit it!" Rinoa kept bugging him by poking her finger on his chest.

"What?"

"That you're jealous!"

"I'm not!"

"Then why do you look so embarrassed?"

"Rin, I am not jealous! Stop it!" He grabbed her hand as to stop her constant poking.

"But you are!"

"No, I'm not."

"You're just too proud to admit it but you're a big softy who's jealous of my exs!"

"Whatever, I'm not."

The room suddenly fell silent as if a bomb had just exploded next door. Everyone stared at the bemused commander with surprised then evil eyes.

"What? What's wrong!?" Squall asked feeling completely lost.

"You said it…" Quistis smiled devilishly at him, a sight he was not really accustomed to.

"What? What have I…Oh…" He sighed as he finally understood and cursed under his breath.

"You said 'whatever'!" Selphie beamed.

"Now you have to do 'whatever' we ask you." Irvine chuckled at his own –stupid- joke.

"Shut up Irvine." Squall snapped as he rubbed his temple in thought.

"Now, now…What should we ask him…"Quistis wondered, casting an amused sideway glance at her former pupil.

"Have him go to the cafeteria for some hotdogs!" Zell burst out. "Man, I'm starving…"

"I have a better idea!" Selphie suddenly jumped, almost knocking down Irvine in the process. "Dare him to make out with Rinoa in front of us!"

"What!?"The raven-haired girl stopped petting her little Moomba at Selphie's suggestion.

"Yeah, I couldn't get it on tape last time. The battery was dead!" The bouncy girl complained holding her camcorder in front of her.

Rinoa knew what she was referring to. The night of the party after Ultimecia's defeat where Squall and her had shared their first kiss… They had nearly jumped when Irvine had suddenly shouted for them to get a room and Selphie had started laughing uncontrollably.

"That's a rather good idea…" Quistis was beginning to creep Squall out with that devilish smile of hers.

"Yeah, isn't it?" Selphie smiled happily at the blonde's approbation. "Then we could play it at their wedding!"

"Selphie!" Both Squall and Rinoa blushed furiously at her comment, earning the rest of their friend's snigger.

"So like, you're gonna do it or not?" Irvine smirked.

"What?" Squall asked in mild annoyance.

"Kiss her like there's no tomorrow." The cowboy casually answered as his smirk grew into a Cheshire grin. The gunblader felt the heat come to his cheeks again.

"It's not like you had a choice anyway!" Zell added, swallowing his disappointment at not having any hotdogs tonight.

"…Fine." The SeeD commander finally sighed and took Rinoa's free hand to spin her around.

"Hum…Do I have a word in this?" She asked as she now used her boyfriend's knee to support her back and gazed at her so called 'friends'.

"No."

"Ok…" she replied, surprised by their simultaneous answer.

She looked up at Squall to find him gazing at her apologetically as if to say 'sorry about that'. She quickly reassured him with warm smile. It didn't bother her that much after all…

"Is it for today or do we have to come back tomorrow?" Selphie asked as she readied her camcorder for the umpteenth time.

The others laughed at that and Squall let out a small sigh. Rinoa's smile widened as she snaked her arms behind his neck to encourage him. Finally, he leaned in and their lips met in a sweet kiss, gaining in passion with every second that ticked by. He held her close and she reveled in the feeling of his heart beating fast against her own. They were in their own world for a minute and nothing was going to disturb them, not even a cooing Selphie.

They had to break apart at some point because of the lack of oxygen and were greatly embarrassed to find themselves panting, their faces still mere inches apart.

"Man…He did kiss her like there was no tomorrow…" Zell stated in awe.

"I didn't think he would take it seriously…" Irvine added with his Cheshire smirk still plastered upon his face.

"Yes! It's all recorded this time!" Selphie cheered.

Squall & Rinoa hadn't even paid attention to what their friends were saying, still too entranced in each other's gaze. Rinoa steadied herself to sit in front of him after a while before reaching up to whisper in his ear.

"I love you."

She then kissed his cheek quickly and enjoyed the sight of his flustered face before returning to her previous position and sitting into his lap.

Irvine wolf whistled and Rinoa face palmed. She hadn't done it to purposely embarrass Squall but more to reassure him about his earlier doubts. He didn't have to compete with her previous boyfriends, she already loved him way more than she had any of them.

She blushed at her own thoughts and the truth or dare game went on. Only after two turns…

"Squall, truth or dare?" Selphie asked.

"Truth if I have to…"

"What did Rinny tell you just after the kiss? You know, when she whispered into your ear?" She made sure her question was really precise so that he couldn't get away with it.

"Oh come on!" Squall cried out in exasperation.

Everyone laughed after his outburst. This had been the wildest game of truth or dare Balamb Garden had ever known. After playing for the rest of the night everyone fell asleep in Selphie's room more or less sprawled across the floor or on the mass of covers that had been the petite green-eyed girl's homemade turtle shell. Everyone agreed on one thing though, this night was never to be mentioned again to anyone else in Garden.

* * *

-August 23rd-

Rinoa had finally managed to talk Squall into coming to his birthday party, even with Laguna there. Of course, she had a plan…

She had previously reassured her boyfriend about talking to his long lost father –but not after punching him twice in the shoulder for his sharp comments- and had told him not to come fetch her to go to the ballroom together. For now, everything was going according to plan…

After inspecting herself for the hundredth time that night and coming to the conclusion that her choice for a short blue spaghetti strap dress was rather fitting, she stormed out of her room excitedly, heading for the ballroom.

She knew Squall wouldn't be there waiting for her yet since she had told him to come at 7:30p.m instead of 7 sharp.

When she arrived at the ballroom, she was stunned to say the least. Selphie wasn't joking when she said the place would be unrecognizable…

Garlands were suspended all across the walls with bright colored lights everywhere, a small scene had been set for a pop rock band to perform and people were dancing madly on the marble dance floor as if the ballroom had suddenly become a night club. To confirm her assumption, Rinoa noticed a small bar in a corner of the room where women from the cafeteria were doing their best to deal with the mass of teens reclaiming hotdogs and paunch. There was also an area filled with many tables where people could discuss with their friends.

"Wow…" Rinoa let slip quietly.

"I knew you'd like it!" Selphie appeared seemingly out of nowhere in front of her friend. "You're gorgeous Rinny! Squall's gonna drool on the floor when he sees you!"

"Thanks Selph." Rinoa smiled shyly before scanning the room for a certain dark- haired man. "Have you seen Laguna around? I have to talk to him before Squall shows up."

"Actually yeah, he's sitting at our table with Ellone!"

"Great!" Rinoa clapped her hands together seeing as her plan was functioning perfectly.

Selphie led her to the table their friends were sitting at and surely enough, Laguna was there laughing along with them. Ellone was the first to notice Rinoa's arrival.

"Hello Rinoa! It's been so long!" She exclaimed already hugging the dark haired girl.

"I missed you too Ellone!" She replied to Squall's adopted sister. "Laguna…Could I have a word with you?" That came quieter than she had first intended it to be.

"Sure." The older man smiled up at her, still sitting in his chair beside Zell who was trying to eat three hotdogs at the same time.

"I mean…In private…Please?" _'Damn! Why am I so nervous all of a sudden?'_ she thought. He was a really nice man but also her boyfriend's father after all…

"Oh? Ok." He stood up and Rinoa led him to a corner of the room where they wouldn't be bothered.

_*Breathe Rinoa…Take deep breaths…*_ she tried to reassure herself. It was already a quarter past seven, she didn't have much time left.

"What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Laguna asked after a while, as carefree as ever.

"Oh! Yeah, I need to warn you…" She answered sheepishly. _*Damn it Rinoa! Get a grip on yourself!*_ she scolded herself.

"To warn me? About what?" He seemed surprised.

"Well…Squall, as you'll have noticed, isn't really the talkative type and when you do talk to him, I don't want you to say anything that might anger him any further…"

"Any further…?"

"He's _a bit _mad at you…For not knowing he existed…"

"Oh…" Laguna's tone got darker as he lowered his head.

"That's why I thought of a list of topics you should avoid!" Rinoa tried lighting up the mood. She was glad to see Laguna's head shoot up and the hopeful glint in his green eyes. He looked just liked a child who had been promised sweets.

"First off, don't talk to him about the orphanage. He started hating this place after Ellone's departure. Not about his childhood, he doesn't remember much because of the Guardian Forces but what he does remember aren't very pleasant memories to him.

"Got it." He said after her little explanation. "Thank yo…"

"I'm done yet!" She immediately interrupted him. "Don't praise him about his job either, he hates all the paper work. The reason he keeps it is because he knows people rely on him…" She smiled slightly as she carried on counting the topics on her fingers. "Also, no hotdogs, dance or anything concerning White SeeDs or sorceresses. And lastly, don't talk too much about me…"

"Why not you?" Laguna raised a hand, impressed by her knowledge of Squall's character.

"Because it always embarrasses him to talk about his girlfriend…" She felt the heat rising to her cheeks. Now, that was one thing he wouldn't have to discover later.

"Oh, I see…" he replied with a knowing grin, making her blush even more. "Shall we get back to the table before Zell eats all the hotdogs?"

She chuckled as he extended his hand to escort her as if she were a princess. "Trust me, he'll already be at the bar asking for more."

They couldn't make it very far as a familiar face soon appeared in front of them. Squall was wearing a simple black shirt with the first buttons undone and simple black pants as he cast them an uncertain look.

"Good evening." He saluted politely.

"Hello Squall." Laguna replied with a distant look on his face.

An awkward silence passed between them and Rinoa didn't know what to say to make it end. She just stood there uneasily pondering on what to do. She couldn't just leave them here!

"You're…You look great tonight." Squall said quietly as he approached her discreetly.

"Ah! Err, thanks. You're not bad either." She replied blushing at his unexpected compliment. She would have to wait to express her gratitude for him breaking the silence.

"So err…" Laguna scratched the back of his head as he tried to engage conversation with his long lost son. "How are you doing?"

_*Lame…*_ Rinoa couldn't help but think.

"I can't complain." Squall answered honestly. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'm doing just fine! I'm glad I could actually come today!" The green eyed man found it in him again to pull out a grin.

"I'm surprised you could leave Esthar so easily. Being the president…"

"I left Kiros in charge while I was away. I know I can trust him. You wouldn't believe how happy Ellone was when I told her we were going to visit!"

The conversation had started out pretty well, so Rinoa decided it was time for her to make her exit. She quickly excused herself but Squall shot her a helpless look. She smiled at him reassuringly and left without another word. Squall suppressed a sigh as he watched her join her friends at their table.

"She looks just like her mother…" Laguna mused aloud.

"What did she talk to you about?" Squall asked, voicing his earlier question.

"You really want to know?" Squall nodded at his father.

"She told me about all kinds of subjects I shouldn't talk about with you." He scratched the back of his head again.

_*That's why she gave me the wrong time, to make sure everything was gonna be okay.*_ Squall realized as he placed a hand on his temple.

"She's a really nice girl. Take good care of her, okay?" Laguna said even when knowing Rinoa was a touchy subject to him.

Did he think he didn't already know that? Rinoa was the only one who managed to break the walls surrounding him, she never gave up. She was just as stubborn as he was and he loved her all the more for it.

"I will, don't worry."

* * *

It was almost two in the morning when the headmaster barged in and shoved everyone out of the ballroom with the help of some instructors.

Laguna went to talk to Cid while Squall and Rinoa managed to sneak into the dormitories.

"Why did we have to sneak out like that?" Rinoa asked confused as her boyfriend led her through the dark corridors of Garden.

"I'm the Commander, I wasn't supposed to let the party go on for so long." Squall sighed. Laguna had kept talking to him all evening. It hadn't been so much of a chore as he had expected, only now he was really tired. "I wasn't really in a mood for a lecture…"

"Yeah, I understand…"

They finally reached Squall's room and quietly got in, careful not to attract attention from the odd student still walking around at this time of night after the party. Rinoa immediately fell on the bed and let out a tired sigh.

"Aaah…Finally alone…" Oupsi. She had let that slip without meaning to. But it was true! Laguna had kept him away from her all night long, on his birthday nonetheless! She quickly sat up and averted her gaze.

"Sorry for making you wait." Squall smirked as he sat down beside her on the small bed. Her cheeks reddened even more. He only teased her like that when they were alone together.

"Did it go well? You know…With Laguna?" She inquired, quickly changing the topic.

"It was alright… Not that he actually got much from me, he made most of the conversation."

"What did you talk about?"

"Some stories of his past in Winhill or other stuff…Nothing really mind blowing. That guy's a moron though."

"I'm glad." Rinoa smiled slightly.

"What?" Squall asked suspicious that she agreed about Laguna being an idiot.

"You got to catch up with your father, I'm happy it went okay." She explained. Squall sighed, she wasn't admitting Laguna's stupidity any time soon.

"Apparently thanks to you and your rant about subjects he should avoid." He tried hiding his smirk but it was no use. Rinoa loved embarrassing him, why shouldn't he do the same?

"Yeah…" she looked away again and he chuckled.

"Thank you." He didn't have to say more, she knew what he meant by that: _Thank you for not letting me lose my father._

"You're welcome." She turned to him again and flashed him a warm smile. "Oh, and Squall…Happy birthday."

"Thanks but…" Let's see how far he could push his luck. "…Where's my present?"

Rinoa looked surprised for a second but quickly recovered and gazed at him with mischievous eyes.

"It's right here."

She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him to her for a loving kiss. They fell on the soft mattress of Squall's bed and he kissed her even more fervently. Apparently she hadn't been the only one waiting for some private time with him. She snaked her arms around his neck, trying to bring him closer as he had both his hands around her face to support himself since he was on top of her. He dared putting a hand on her waist and letting his fingers play with the soft fabric of her dress. Seeing as Rinoa was still trying to pull his head closer to hers, he propped himself on his elbow and started using his now spare hand to play with her dark tresses. They were so lost in the intensity of the moment that they didn't notice when the door opened to reveal a man in pajamas and bunny slippers…

"Hey Squall, Cid said I could come to you if I…Wow!"

Squall and Rinoa sat up hurriedly, blushing madly. That was the worst possible moment for him to barge into the room. _'What impression would he get from me now!'_ Rinoa thought desperately trying to hide her scarlet face in Squall's shoulder. A heavy silence filled the room for what seemed to be hours to the poor sorceress. After a while, Laguna finally summoned up the courage to ask what he had come for.

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting but Cid said I could come to you if needed to ask anything…" He said sheepishly scratching the back of his head for the hundredth time that night.

"Go ahead." Squall pried him, trying to keep a straight face despite being caught red handed by his father.

"Err well…Where is the bathroom… Please?"

His voice was so quiet as he asked that that Squall wasn't sure he had heard correctly. But surely enough, Laguna was fidgeting helplessly at the door and didn't look at him in embarrassment. He couldn't believe it.

"There is a bathroom in every room. It's the door opposite the bed."

"Oh, really? I thought it was a secret closet or something since it was so hard to open… Anyway!" Laguna was as red as a tomato as he waved at them. "I'll leave you two! Thanks again!"

And with that he closed the door behind him –not so discreetly- and disappeared as fast as he had come. Rinoa got off Squall's shoulder and looked at him quizzically. _'How is he gonna take that?' _She thought worried.

"I swear that guy must be retarded..." He sighed still staring at the door.

Rinoa burst out laughing as her earlier worries vanished instantly but he quickly calmed her down, not wanting everyone in Garden to complain about it next morning.

"That was close…" Rinoa sighed, still giggling slightly.

"I guess but…If the word gets around Garden that you were there tonight …" Squall frowned.

"Why? Everybody knows I'm your girlfriend, right?" Rinoa asked, her amused smile never leaving her face.

Red returned to Squall's cheeks. "Yeah but they'll get ideas and, well… Garden doesn't allow us to…You know…"

Rinoa blushed crimson red as realization hit her. "Ah! Maybe I should go back to my room then!" She said standing up nervously.

"If they catch you so late past curfew you're in for weeks of detention, regardless if you're a SeeD or not." Squall grabbed her hand, standing up as well.

"You're joking." She observed him incredulously but his eyes were as serious as ever.

"I'm not."

"But, how are we…!?"

"…You can stay here." Squall looked down at their hands. "I'll sleep on the floor if you prefer, it doesn't…"

"No don't! I mean…We can share, I don't mind…" She was so flustered by now, you could have mistaken her for a Bomb monster.

"…Okay…" He didn't sound so sure but she trusted him. She knew he wouldn't do anything without her agreement.

He gave her a plain white T-shirt and black sports shorts with Garden's logo on them to wear to bed. The T-shirt was way too big and the shorts were a bit loose even when she tied the lace as tight as she could but she didn't care. Squall simply put on some sweatpants.

"No shirt?" Rinoa asked as he slipped under the covers next to her.

"No but…"

"It's alright, I like it like that…" She cut in playfully as she placed a hand on his bare chest, enjoying the feel of his muscles tensing at her touch.

He extended his arm to the nightstand to turn the lights off but waited for her to lie down. He cast her a curious look when she didn't. She smiled sweetly at him before propping herself on her elbow to have her upper body on top of him. She caressed his cheek and gazed into his transfixing blue eyes before closing hers and giving him a tender kiss on his lips.

"Good night." She whispered.

She let her hand linger on his cheek slightly longer but eventually had to lie back down. She rested her head on his shoulder and left a hand on his chest before closing her eyes as Squall turned the lights off.

"Rinoa…" He breathed out tiredly.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

He kissed the top of her head and allowed himself to snake an arm around her waist to which she responded by snuggling closer to him.

"I love you too." She smiled in his shoulder. She had no idea if he had heard her or not but she didn't mind. The only thing that mattered right now was that they were together and happy in the intimacy the darkness of the night offered. She reveled in this feeling a little longer before drifting off to sleep. She didn't have to worry about Laguna or her friends right now…That could wait until next morning.

~ END ~

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**_A.N/:_**_ Thank you for reading! This story was fun to write, I hope you enjoyed as much as I did! If so, then please leave a review below it would be awesome.^^_

_Even if you didn't like the story and think I should modify some things, please let me know. I want to improve my writing and I appreciate any kind of advice (exept death threats)._

_Also, if you like Squall and Rinoa and Kingdom Hearts, check out my other story "Transient Eternity"._

'_Till next time!_


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